Recap: 'Arrow' episode 502, 'The Recruits'

First, a recap of season 5, episode 2 of Arrow – "The Recruits" is in order. The Green Arrow recruits the reckless vigilante Wild Dog (healed from last week's arrow to the leg), computer genius Curtis Holt and Evelyn Sharp into his campaign of justice but things don't work out exactly as planned. The mysterious Ragman stalks the representatives of AmerTek while said representatives have plans of their own which involve Tobias Church. Diggle has his hands tied with a covert op and we ring a bell in Bratva.

THE GOOD –

I don't know if it's my television or my new glasses but Arrow has never looked so good. The visual styling, the hues and set design this season has been very impressive. The greens permeate the screen when Oliver stands before the bank of costumes. The stripped palette of Diggle's scenes help punctuate the military shenanigans he has stumbled into. This is the first time I found myself appreciating the atmosphere created around the charaters.

Felicity wasn't all snark this episode. She was a necessary voice of reason in Oliver's ear, chiding him for using a battering ram approach with his recruits. She rightly noted that Green Arrow needs a team but Oliver Queen is the leader the team needs. It takes a minute but her words eventually break through the leather hood to enact a change. With a seemingly nice relationship going on outside the quiver (too good to be true, right?), Felicity may settle into the role of conscience and trusted friend for Oliver. That would be refreshing.

Quote of the episode: "Which means fear can kiss my 6." – Diggle.

Curtis did better on the salmon ladder than I could. Echo Kellum has obviously been working hard for his heroic debut to come later this season. Speaking of heroic debuts, I liked Ragman. Pulling another forgotten hero of DC's '80s line-up, the show depicted the character and his mythic origin well. The costume was straight from the panels, like Wild Dog's, and the visual effects were flawless. They tied his origin to Felicity's bomb diversion from last season; good call back. Evelyn Sharp is a blank slate but I'm interested in seeing where Curtis and Ragman's stories go from here.

There wasn't much story to it but I enjoyed seeing Diggle in his military setting, playing the role of leader and winding up in a mess of trouble. In another call back to last season (that's enough for two eps into the new year; onward forward, please), his troop is out to keep nuclear triggers from falling into the wrong hands when greed steps in to make things 'fubar'.

THE BAD –

You've been Mayor of Star City for months now and you're just getting around to hiring a staff? Oliver, you seriously thought that you and Thea could run a major metropolitan city by yourselves? Don't be fooled by all the abandoned factories, warehouses and low turn-out to your community events (were there 10 people at the medical event?) there is serious business that needs a-doing. Thea appears to be fairly competent in her role as chief of staff. Maybe a staff - which we hear some ambient whispers from at the end of the episode – will give her wings to grow and show even more. That being said, she is guilty for one ugly mishap this week.

There was literally no reason for the Bratva flashbacks this episode. They were each clips of one padded fight scene used to slam exclamation points on the end of present day scenes that were already finished with nice periods.

THE UGLY –

Problem - the Mayor of Star City is moonlighting as a costumed vigilante leaving his chief of staff overworked and unsupported. Answer - find an ex-police captain physically and visually struggling with alcoholism and reward him for shirking his guard duties (which nearly led to the death of a prominent citizen and political ally) by appointing him the new Deputy Mayor? Really?

If you're going to enjoy Arrow, you have to buy into the idea that there are going to be a lot of arrows flying around. A lot of archers? that's a bridge too far. The appropriation of Batman villains continue with Prometheus, created in the '90s to be the anti-Batman of the DC universe and morphed here to fit the CW's version. I'll concede that this may be ugly to my Caped Crusader loving eyes, but I'd be all in for the character if he, too, was close to his comic book roots. Green Arrow going up against a 'Dark Batman' could be fun.

OVERALL –

C+ - not bad with room to grow.